Jade was surrounded.
Vampires on all sides. Skeletons filling the gaps. All of them closing in slowly, savoring the moment. His gadgets were depleted, his paradox energy nearly exhausted, his lightning reduced to weak sparks between his fingers.
Two Fangs stood at the center of his army, hands clasped behind his back, watching.
"You fought well," the man in white said, his voice carrying easily over the shuffling of undead feet. "Better than most. But this was always going to end one way."
Jade straightened despite his exhaustion, meeting the masked gaze with defiance. "You haven't won yet."
"Haven't I?" Two Fangs gestured to the horde. "Your students are fleeing. Your organization is exposed. And you…" He took a step closer. "You're about to die."
The vampires tensed, ready to strike on command.
Two Fangs tilted his head. "Any last words?"
Jade's lips curved into a slight smile despite the situation. "Yeah. Don't need any, Two Fangs."
The man in white went completely still.
The vampires stopped moving.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
When the man in white spoke again, his voice had changed. Colder. Sharper.
"That's not my name."
"No?" Jade's smile widened slightly. "Then what should I call you?"
The man in white stared at him for a long moment. The white mask revealed nothing, but Jade could feel the weight of that gaze, the fury barely contained beneath the calm exterior.
"You know nothing about me," the man in white said quietly. "Nothing about what I am. What I've become."
"I know enough," Jade replied.
The man in white raised one gloved hand.
The vampires lunged.
And the world twisted.
The stairwell bent, walls rippling like water. The stairs beneath their feet folded in on themselves, geometry warping in impossible ways. Jade felt his stomach lurch as reality rearranged itself around them.
When everything settled, they were no longer in a stairwell.
They stood in a massive ballroom. High ceilings with crystal chandeliers. Polished marble floors. Grand windows overlooking… nothing. Just darkness beyond the glass, like they'd been transported somewhere outside of normal space.
The vampires stumbled, disoriented by the sudden change. Even Two Fangs paused, his head turning to survey their new surroundings.
And standing in the center of the ballroom, one massive hand resting on an axe nearly as tall as he was, stood a man who looked like he'd walked straight out of a fairy tale.
He was huge—easily six and a half feet tall, built like a lumberjack with shoulders that could carry trees. Flannel shirt stretched tight over muscle, suspenders, work boots. A thick beard and kind eyes that didn't quite match the massive weapon beside him.
Axe.
"Very sorry for the wait," Axe said, his voice deep and rumbling like distant thunder, but warm despite the situation. "Had to handle a few of the zombies outside."
He hefted his axe with one hand like it weighed nothing, resting it against his shoulder.
Jade let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Axe. About time."
"Zombies are pretty annoying," Axe replied with a slight smile. He looked at the assembled vampires and skeletons, then at Two Fangs. "So. Who wants to leave the nice ballroom peacefully, and who wants to find out why I'm called Axe?"
Two Fangs's head tilted, studying this new arrival. "Spatial manipulation. You created a pocket dimension."
"Herbert Hotel," Axe confirmed, patting the axe fondly. "My own little space. Very private. Very… contained." His smile faded slightly. "No one leaves unless I want them to."
The vampires looked to Two Fangs, uncertain.
The man in white was silent for a long moment, assessing. Then he laughed—a dry, humorless sound.
"Another one with a paradox ability. How many does Jade have now? Five? Six?" He spread his hands. "Fine. We'll play this game."
He snapped his fingers.
The vampires and skeletons charged.
Axe sighed. "Always the hard way."
He swung.
The hallway began to shift.
Not violently. Not suddenly. Just… changing.
The walls bent inward, the floor rippled like water. Doorways appeared where there had been solid concrete. The geometry of the space was rearranging itself, trapping Widow in a maze of impossible architecture.
Widow stopped mid-pursuit, her glowing blue eyes widening as she realized what was happening.
"Oh shit," she breathed. "It's a trap."
She pulled a small device from her dress—a communicator—and pressed it urgently.
"Two Fangs!" Her voice was sharp, all predatory confidence gone. "Two Fangs, we need to retreat. NOW. They have a spatial manipulator. We're in his domain."
Static crackled. Then the man in white's calm voice came through: "Und. Extra- point?" As he cuts off.
"South entrance. Two minutes. Damn it it's not working," Widow looked around at the shifting walls, calculating her escape route even as the space closed in around her.
She reached into her dress again and pulled out a red button—smooth, unmarked, ominous.
Vex's eyes narrowed. "What's that?"
Widow smiled coldly. "Insurance."
She pressed it.